One of the main dreams of any health professional is to have their own workspace. To achieve this, a lot of effort and a strong economic investment are needed. It is not something impossible to achieve and the best example can be seen with the constant opening of spaces of this type. But although the highest priority should always be patients, in the end it is not the only one. Having a medical office also implies a social responsibility that must be acquired.
The current context in which we live has seen a major change in the way people consume and interact. Today patients seek new experiences and focused on caring for the environment or concerned about the needs of the people who work or represent a brand.
Data from Havas biannual study on brand value, which surveyed more than 395,000 people around the world, show that 73% believe that medical offices should act with social responsibility. This shows that it is a small action but very well valued by others.
And what does it consist of?
From these insights arises the need to make Corporate Social Responsibility visible (CSR). As its name indicates, the socially responsible management of companies and their businesses in all aspects that make their operation possible. This is stated in the ISO 26000 Standard, which includes the basic concepts, fundamental principles and work matters.
This regulation also regulates the attention to the negative impacts generated by the operation of a company. Also the promotion of the positive actions that come out of it in order to guarantee the sustainability of the business, the community that surrounds it and the planet we inhabit.
However, according to said certification, in order to achieve responsible management of the business, it is necessary follow a set of fundamental principles. All were developed with the participation of experts from more than 90 countries and 40 international and regional organizations with the intention of promoting a more conscious management of companies from the inside out.
This list begins with accountability. It consists in the fact that every organization must be held accountable, before its Board of Directors and society in general, for its decisions and for the impacts that the latter may generate in social, environmental and economic environments as a result of its operation. Transparency follows, which refers to the clarity and honesty of the organization when referring to the impacts on the economy, society and the environment that it generates as a result of its daily operation. This implies that information related to these impacts is always available to interested parties.
For its part, ethical behavior defines the actions of the organization based on fundamental values such as honesty, integrity and fairness, in order to promote responsible behavior at all levels of the company.
Respect for the interests of the interested parties, which would be defined as the active listening of the organization on the needs and the importance of its commercial relations at the different levels of the structure, is the principle that seeks to reach agreements and meet the requirements of those involved in a harmonious and efficient manner.
The principle of legality is based on respect for the laws and regulations that apply to the different aspects where a company operates. Every organization must know the laws that apply to its operation, respect them, comply with them and check that compliance is constant over time.
Along the same lines, respect for international behavior regulations implies, for example, that when, due to geographical reasons for the operation, there are no laws that cover some aspects that are contemplated in international behavior regulations, the organization must see which entity offers greater and better legal coverage and act in accordance with that proposal.
The seventh and last principle refers to respect for human rights, where Universal Human Rights must be duly recognized, respected, protected, promoted and guaranteed by any organization, even if they are not fulfilled in the place where their organization is located. operation.
In addition to these guiding principles, the standard ISO26000 It also contemplates 7 fundamental subjects that cover the integral management of the business. They work efficiently to identify important issues and set priorities within the management of social responsibility for any medical practice or business in general.